I Owe You
by WhiteGloves
Summary: Stefan is out on his own, carrying the burden of his past actions a year after Klaus made him a ripper. And a year after, Damon was still hot in pursuit.


**I Owe You**

_**by: WhiteGloves**_

**Season 3... count down!**

Stefan had his eyes closed. Everything was so peaceful.

He opened them again and stared ahead the sky. He was standing in a hill with tall trees behind him. Before him was a steep cliff, and beyond it was a great part of the ocean. The sun was setting.

He had no idea how long he had been standing there, all he knew was that it was important to keep his emotions at bay. The whole year for him was like a roller coaster- full of different strong emotions that can make one man lose his mind.

Stefan closed his eyes again and gave a sigh. It wasn't easy reaching the point where he was right now. He couldn't even believe that he reached it after everything that he's been through.

A faint crease on his eyebrows appeared suddenly on his peaceful face.

That was right. It has been a whole year since he left everything and everyone behind him: his brother, his girlfriend, his life, and above all himself.

Flashes of his bloody actions on that whole year crossed his mind showing a number of dead human bodies on the sidewalk, inside a car, in an apartment and many other places that he walked through with Klaus- Stefan suddenly staggered as the hybrid's face flashed before his eyes. That person- just remembering his face made him feel a trickle of anger and fear at the same time. That person who was the reason he could no longer be with the people he love-

Stefan halted his emotions like a switch off and stared at the vast ocean again. It has been a year. He had moved on from everything that he has done with complete responsibility on his shoulders. There was no point going back through it again. There was no point in going back…

"Found you again, didn't I?"

Stefan looked sharply behind him and saw his only brother, Damon Salvatore, standing behind him with that familiar snappy expression on his face. Damon looked at his brother with his eyebrows raised and an impatient look on his eyes. He was wearing that same black clothes Stefan saw him wearing a couple of months back when they last saw each other.

"What are you doing here?" Stefan asked quietly as he turned his body to his brother with his hands on the side of his blue jacket, "I told you to stop following me."

"Me, following you?" Damon asked in his sarcastic voice as he took steps toward his brother, "What gave you that crazy idea?"

Stefan eyed his brother.

"I have already moved on… and so should you." He said very quietly.

Damon looked at his brother and then rolled his eyes.

"Pathetic. If you have really moved on then you should have gone back to Mystic Falls after you killed Klaus."

"Part of my moving on is putting Mystic Falls in my past."

"Cut the crap and just come quietly, Stefan, this is only making it more difficult as it is."

Stefan did not move but remained looking at his brother while Damon returned his gaze.

"I can't go back, and you know that." Stefan's voice suddenly shook in impatience as he said this. "I've killed many people and you know I enjoyed it! You know it, Damon- you saw me when I was doing it! You saw me when I nearly hurt Elena- you saw what I was like when we fought back then- you know I nearly killed you-"

"So WHAT?" Damon cried fiercely, "It's not like we're not killing each other for the better part of our lives! And so WHAT if you've killed those people? Hell I care? All I can be bothered about is that you seemed to really like killing them when you're supposed to be this shameful-excuse-for a vampire, but I can't take that against you. I'm not going clean here, Stef- you shitty idiot we're vampires!"

"This is different." Stefan injected as he frowned deeply at his brother.

"Yeah? How? Because it's you? Look Stefan- no one's going to blame you for doing those things- I won't! But for the good of the world stop acting like everything's your fault!"

"I killed people!" Stefan hissed angrily as if his brother could not understand- which in truth Damon couldn't as he retorted back-

"People die! You just- made it faster for them that's all!"

Stefan shook his head.

"You don't understand."

"Yeah, coz I'm not an idiot like you."

"Nothing's the same anymore."

"What made you say that-?"

"Elena loves you now."

Damon's eyes widened a little but he tried to hide his surprise after this. Stefan merely stared at him quietly as if he could read his brother's mind.

"She still loves you." Damon answered finally and seriously. "It's always been you."

"Not anymore."

"So its like- you're not going to return because you want to give us more room, is that it?"

Stefan didn't answer. An angry vein suddenly popped on Damon's head and in a flash he was in front of his brother with his hands clutching tightly on the younger Salvatore's collar.

"I don't need that kind of sacrifice from you!" he hissed with all the self-control he could muster, "I tolerated your behaviour when you gave yourself to Klaus for me- frankly I've been more agitated to save you day after day after that! I understand the situation asked for it, Stefan- but d'you know how I felt after that? Sending my idiot brother as a slaughterer for my life? How low can I get? And now this- Elena? Don't be too cocky Stefan! You're not the one who's going to decide who she's going to love! Making room shit- don't give me that crap! She'll choose whoever she wants not because he's the only one left!"

Stefan had a deep look on his face as his brother said all of this. Stirs of emotions suddenly filled his head and heart that he thought it might burst anytime. He caught his brother's fist clutching on his collar and then pulled it away suddenly. From everything he was feeling that time that threatened to burst out from his mouth, only one question made it to his lips.

"Why do you want me back?"

Damon gave a derisive snort and then clamped Stefan on the shoulder tightly.

"Because- my idiot brother- I owe you." He said the last word with a serious face.

Stefan blinked at his brother. Damon seemed to forget how uncomfortable it was to speak freely like this as he held his brother's gaze.

"I owe you and you know it."

"You should not question why I saved you from the bite," Stefan answered quietly; "you're my brother."

"Then you should not question why I'm following your trail for more than six months." Damon raised an eyebrow at him. "For an idiot like you who made me run for miles I only have one thing to say- it's time to quit this game and go with me already."

"Damon," Stefan started as he tried to shrug away from his brother's clutches but Damon's hold suddenly became firm and before Stefan knew it, Damon's face had gone so close to his that he could smell his breath-

"Fuck it- you are going home!" Damon hissed warningly. "Stop doing the alphabetical reasoning with me- or I swear to god I'll kill you right now!"

Stefan's eyes widened at this statement and after a long pause in which Damon kept glaring at him as if daring him to escape his grasp once more, Stefan nodded.

The sun had gone down already by the time the brothers moved from the steep cliff. Stefan followed his brother as they walk along the trees. Still thinking deeply if he should really go back or not, Damon suddenly turned to Stefan.

"If you are bothered by what you did this whole year, just blame it all on me. I won't take it as hard as you do. Not because it wasn't me who did it but because I hardly care for my food. Don't brood over things that has already happened- I don't."

"Nice advice."

Damon glared at Stefan once more and by his look Stefan knew his brother was serious.

"Don't ever run off like that again."

Stefan stared at his brother who turned his back on him and continued walking, but not after he shouted, "Not everything's your fault, idiot."

Stefan watched him go, and then slightly shook his head as he intended to follow.

It was quite different when it was Damon who was trying to reason him out. Usually he was the sensible one and when it was Damon who was doing his role it could only mean one thing- he was doing something wrong.

"Don't try to run, Stef." Damon called in front of him, "god knows I'll hunt you down till the last corner of the earth."

Stefan did not say anything but simply appreciated his brother's affectionate words. It was very unlikely for Damon to be saying such fluffy things like this, and when he does, Stefan knows his brother must be really bothered by his actions. Well, he was bothered by it himself, and he wished, to all the gods who would listen to a vampire that it would not happen to him again.

"Freaking idiot." Stefan heard Damon say in an exasperated way that made him smile slightly.

A year had already passed... maybe it was really time to face the people he left behind.

**-END-**


End file.
